Media editing application programs enable users to manipulate media files in a variety of different ways to create a desired result. For example, with a video editing application, the user can trim, splice, cut and arrange multiple video clips along a time line to create a sequence of scenes. As another feature, the user can add one or more audio tracks to the video being edited, to create a multi-media presentation. Analogous types of operations can be performed on audio files, photos, 3-D models, etc.
One of the tools commonly provided with media editing applications provides the ability to add effects to the content of a media file. For instance, a variety of different types of effects can be added to a video production. As examples, various video transitions can be applied to the clips that make up a presentation sequence, such as dissolves, cross-fades, wipes, and the like. In addition, different types of filters can be applied to the images that constitute the video, such as blur, color correction, distortion, timing, and the like. Typically, each effect may have one or more parameters that the user can adjust, to vary the impact of that effect. For instance, a color correction filter may have a number of sliders, or other adjustment controls, to enable the user to set desired values for different portions of a color chart, e.g., whites, mid-level colors and blacks, as well as saturation values. As another example, a contrast filter may enable the user to set values for different levels of contrast, pivot and mix.
Once a user has found a suitable set of parameter settings for effects in a clip, it may be desirable to apply those same effects, with the same parameter settings, to other clips. In some cases, it may be possible to employ a copy-and-paste operation to replicate the effect parameter settings from one clip to another clip. However, in such a situation, using a copy-and-paste operation for one effect may disturb the settings for other effects. Consequently, the user must be careful when applying an effect via a copy-and-paste operation, so as not to disturb the settings for other applied effects in the clip. To avoid such a result, it is often necessary for the user to manually set the parameter values for each effect that is applied to each clip, rather than use a copy-and-paste operation.